Fearless Florida diver pulls metal hook from shark's belly

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This is one story that is sure to warm your heart. When Josh Eccles, a diver with Emerald Charter in Jupiter, Florida, was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday one of the lemon sharks passing by kept bumping into him. And while it is a fairly normal occurrence for sharks to bump into divers, one shark, in particular, kept bumping into Eccles more than normal. Every time the shark swam by the diver, it would bump into him a little more. Eccles is in the water at least six times a week as part of his job with the scuba diving center in West Palm Beach. The diver suspected something wasn't right with the shark, so he took a closer look, and the shark didn't seem to mind. The shark would lift up its stomach, and the diver noticed something, so he poked at it a little, and noticed it was a little hook or something. Showing no fear, the shark let Eccles remove the hook, which ended up being about the size of his hand. After Eccles had removed the hook, the shark swam away, only to return several times almost as if to say thank you. At one point, the shark even swam right up to a video camera. You will want to take a look at the short video yourself to see this special interaction between the diver and the shark.

The Lemon Shark, which is also known as the Negaprion Brevirostris, is the best known and most researched of all the sharks. Unlike many sharks, lemon sharks can handle captivity for extended periods of time. That is why scientists have had the opportunity to observe their behavior more than any other shark. An adult lemon shark is typically about 11 feet in length and about 420 pounds in weight. The lemon shark is named for its unusual and bright yellow color or brown pigmentation. The lemon shark loves the tropical and subtropical waters in the coastal areas of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Lemon sharks stay in moderately shallow water, normally going no deeper than about 260 feet. Lemon sharks are often found in shallow waters near coasts and islands, by coral reefs, mangroves, bays, and sometimes even river mouths. Like all other shark species, lemon sharks have electro receptors which allow them to track their prey by the electric impulses that all living things emit.

In addition to using electro receptors, lemon sharks also have an amazing olfactory sense through magnetic sensors which are in their nose. This helps make up for the lemon sharks very poor vision. When it comes to hunting, because this shark is a bottom dweller, they often track their prey by churning up the ground for rays, bony fish, crustaceans, and sometimes even seabirds. Since the lemon sharks are gentle animals and typically non-aggressive towards humans, they are very popular for shark divers. There has never been a recorded fatality due to a lemon shark attack or bite, and most bites from lemon sharks are the result of the shark being spooked. Most of the time, these sharks are gentle and tend to avoid conflict. The lemon shark is a very social species. The sharks are often seen in groups and have a structured hierarchy system that is based on size and sex. Lemon sharks usually don't show any aggressive behavior with each other and coordinate in groups for hunting purposes in places the hierarchy is strictly followed.

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